FORT DRUM, N.Y. - Brig. Gen. Mark J. O'Neil, outgoing 10th Mountain Division (LI) deputy commanding general of operations, received the Legion of Merit during a Mountain Salute ceremony in his honor Jan. 21 at the Magrath Sports Complex at Fort Drum.
Maj. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, Fort Drum and 10th Mountain Division (LI) commander, conferred the honors on O'Neil, who received an 11-round cannon salute during the ceremony.
"It has been an honor and a privilege to help lead some of the finest Soldiers in our Army," O'Neil said. "I learned a lot, oversaw some awesome developments, and am looking forward to new challenges as (I move) to Fort Leavenworth."
Representatives from each battalion and brigade at Fort Drum were present to celebrate O'Neil's service in the 10th Mountain Division and to wish him well with his future position as deputy commanding general of training at the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
O'Neil was instrumental in the training and preparation of the 10th Mountain Division and its brigades before their deployments to Afghanistan, Townsend said.
"He is a good man," he said. "There are only a handful of officers that I trust implicitly to keep an eye on everyday operations, and (while deployed in combat operations), I trusted him to ensure every one of our units and every one of our Soldiers was properly sourced to accomplish the mission and come back alive."
O'Neil worked with units before, during and after combat operations. He even deployed to Fort Polk, La., to help guide 3rd Brigade Combat Team and 4th Brigade Combat Team during their Joint Readiness Training Center exercises.
"My job was made much easier due to the exceptional team (that) I worked with on a daily basis," O'Neil said.
Although O'Neil is leaving America's Light Infantry Division, his legacy of tough and realistic training will stay.
"He has left an imprint in the way Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division does training," Townsend said. "It will remain for years to come."
Leaving a path of innovation in training is fitting for O'Neil's next duty position at Fort Leavenworth, where he will have an opportunity to mold the leaders of the future and make sure that they are properly equipped, Townsend said.
After the ceremony, Family, friends and other Fort Drum community members formed a line
to congratulate O'Neil and his wife, Wendy, and wish them farewell.
During the ceremony, Townsend aptly said, "(O'Neil) is a forever-mountaineer."
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